Not paid for over 3 months? Feel ‘free’ to join another firm

The Labor Ministry’s ninth phase of the Wage Protection Scheme, launched on Sunday, aims to protect the salaries of 405,590 workers in 3,595 private companies having 100 or more employees.

The ministry is committed to implementing the program in all private sector establishments to make sure that their employees are paid on time, said Abdullah Abu Thnain, undersecretary for inspection and for the development of the work environment.

The scheme is likely to decrease problems between workers and establishments.

If a company is found violating the salary rule, it will be fined SR3,000, and the fine will multiply based on the number of workers affected.

Thnain said services would be halted for establishments that do not present data related to their workers’ wages for two months from the date of the decision’s implementation.

If an establishment delays the payment of salaries for more than three months, its services will be stopped and workers will be allowed to offer their services to another company without the agreement of the current employer.

Thnain called on companies to send their wage reports through the establishment’s account on the ministry’s website www.mol.go.sa where they can review the program’s schedule.